Blood of the Eternal Star: The Beggining.
by ShadowMoonSedai
Summary: Sequel to 'Trusting the Sword'. The search for the Warlords begins and Laori's a little over excited. Look, I know doing this one warlord at a time is dragging this out, but ask me if I give a damn. I like it this way.
1. Default Chapter Title

Blood of the Eternal Star: Trusting the Sword II

A Beggining

Brin tossed and groaned softly. I whispered her name gently and rewet the cloth on her forehead. Briana walked into the room and crawled into my lap.

"Is she gonna be okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah. Knowing Brin, she'll pull through."

"She'll do it for you, Rowen."

"Oh?"

"She loves you. I'm her sister. I know these things." I grinned and Brin gave another groan. She dug her fingernails into the blanket and bit her lip in pain. Briana got off my lap and laid on the bed next to her sister. "You won't leave me, Brin," she whispered. "I know you won't. You can't." I stood up and walked slowly out of the room. I loved her… I loved Brin. I always had, as a sister, but since the night she had gotten her armor and the kiss… it's hard to think of someone as a sister after that. 

"I've got it!!" I jerked and caught myself on the banister to keep from falling down the stairs. Laori ran past, her short hair pulled into a spiky ponytail at her neck. She disappeared in the kitchen as Mia came down, grinning.

"What the hell?" I asked. 

"She's proud of herself," explained Mia. "She found out where the warlords and Kayura are."

"I fail to see anything good it that."

"There's plenty good there," she protested. "Laori cares for Dais and the sooner _we_ find them, the less chance the Dark Stars too." I didn't say anything. She was right, of course. "Come on." We walked into the kitchen to find Laori dancing Micja around in a circle. Then they stopped and Laori suddenly swayed. She barely caught herself on the counter.

"Lay!" said Nicka. "Geez, girl, when was the last time you ate?"

"Uh… um…"

"That's what I thought. Saki?"

"On it," said Saki. "Honestly. I know you don't have a black hole like Nicka or Kento, but how you could forget to eat…"

"I don't have a black hole," muttered Kento. Saki grinned.

"Sorry. High metabolism." 

"I wanted to find them," broke in Laori. I helped her to the table and she made a face. "I'm not _that_- whoa." She tipped again. "Ahhh… fuck."

"Alright, you're officially not going," said Ary. "ANYWHERE, do you hear me?"

"Who died and made you leader?" snapped Lay.

"She's _not_ dead," said Nicka defensively. "And she's not gonna be either."

"I'm not being the leader," said Ary. "But you're too weak to stand, much less go running around warlord hunting. Now. Tell us what you've found."

"They're in the temple under Jewel Lake." Saki gave her a glass of milk, which she downed, then grinned. Her smile faded quickly, though. "But…"

"But?" said Micja. "BUT?"

"But, we only have one chance a _year_ to get them."

"…eh?"

"The actual armors draw their powers from the seasons: Summer, Winter, Fall, and Spring. Meaning we can only get them on the solstice and equinox of their season." Sage made a sound in his throat.

"Uh, we have a slight issue," he said. "Today is the Fall Equinox."

"… what?" Micja was the one with the short job of being articulate. I wasn't sure why… it's just her way.

"Shit," muttered Ryo. He stood up and brushed his bangs back. They fell in front of his face again, as usal. :We have to go and free whoever's trapped."

"Kayura," said Mia. "The armor of the Ogre is also the Armor of Fall. The armor of Venom is the Armor of Spring, the armor of Darkness is the Armor of Winter and the armor of Illusion is the armor of Summer." Laori choked. 

"What? _What?!_ Are you telling me I have to wait almost an entire _year_ to see Dais?!"

"Chill, Lay," said Saki. "At least we know where he is."

"Yeah, but…"

"I'll go," said Ryo. "Rowen?"

"You're… not going without… me…" Brin stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Briana was behind her, a worried look on her face.

"Like hell we aren't," said Ryo. "You need rest, Brin. Don't be stupid."

"I don't and I'm not," she said, walking into the kitchen. She stumbled and I caught her shoulders. "Let me go."

"Not a chance."

"Okay, since you're up," said Ary. Brin lifted her head, but made no attempt to get away from me. She looked at the group at the table, or on the counter in Ary's case. "Today's the Fall Equinox and our one chance to get Kayura this year."

"I know. That's why I'm going. I owe Anubis."

"_Keshen_ owes Anubis," muttered Nicka under her breath. Brin glared at her.

"What's the difference?!" she asked. "We're on in the same!"

"You're still too weak," I said softly. "You're staying." She opened her mouth to protest, but Briana suddenly tugged at her arm.

"Brin, please," she whispered. "Go back to bed."

"What?" Brin looked down at her sister and the glare softened. I took advantage of her momentary lapse in guard and scooped her up in my arms. "What the- Rowen of the Strata! You had better put me down!" I knew I was in deep trouble. She had _never_ called me that. She was gonna kill me later, but at the moment, she barely had enough strength to fight me. Halfway up the stairs, she fell silent. I looked down at her. She was unconscious again. Briana gave a strangled gasp in her throat.

"Shh," I whispered, walking into Brin and Ary's room. I laid her on her bed and picked up the cloth laying on the floor. Briana crawled into my lap again and buried her face in my chest, sobbing. "It's going to be okay, Bree, you just have to be strong. 

_If I lose him, I don't what'll happen to me._

__"If I lose her, I don't know what will happen to me," murmured Briana. I blinked. Hadn't been only five years before that I was comforting Brin when her dad had been in a car accident? I put my arms around Briana and realized where my brother/sister bond had gone- where everybody's had. Briana and Yuli were like siblings to us.We would never let anything happen to them. "If Brin dies, what will happen to me?"

"Nothing," I said fiercely. "Because she's not going anywhere."

"_He_ wasn't supposed to either!" she sobbed. "He said he's never leave me!"

"Brin _won't,_" I stated. "She's too strong."

"No one was stronger then he was." Her eyes burned with the same fire I had seen in Brin. "And the Dynasty killed him. I hate them."

"Don't hate," I told her. "It's what they want you to do."

"Don't you hate them?"

"I fight them. If I hate them, then I'm no better then they are."

"Row?"

"Yeah?"

"How can you all be so cool and at the same time, a target for evil?" I smiled gently.

"I don't know, Bree."_ I should ask you the same thing._

Chapter 1(Nicka)

"Scratch on Ronin of Strata," I said. "That… that _child_ will kill herself!"

"Probably, but she's gonna have to take a number," said Saki. "The rest of us have to kick her ass first."

"Right."

"Exactly."

"You bet."

"Hell yeah." Ryo stared thoughtfully at the ground. I sighed. "Uh-oh. We're about to experience leader boy mode."

"Nicka, shut up." He crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a look. Yes, the look. "You have to try and see it from her point of view: She owes Anubis. Keshen or Brin, they both do. And she wants to protect Rowen. That's just the way they're relationship works."

"There's also Briana," said Mia. "In the long run, Brin wants to make sure that nothing happens to her."

"Her mind's so one tracked it's not even funny," I muttered. "She doesn't realize that dying does a lot more harm then risking her neck. A LOT more harm."

"Unless you're Kaji."

"Right."

"Guys," said Laori. "I hate to bring down the mood in here, but we've got to get Kayura."

"Rowen's not going," said Saki. "Neither are Brin or Lay. Any volunteers, other then Ryo?"

"Hey Wildfire, how many people does it take to free a warlord?" I asked.

"Uh… two?"

"Then I'm in. It'll be quicker if we take the Shadow Express anyway."

"The what?"

"Don't ask. Come on, California Boy. Let's go."

"I wish you wouldn't call me that." I grinned and started into the shadows by the wall.

"Good. We all gotta dream." Ryo was right behind me, shaking his head. We were in a room with an alter in the middle. The walls were smooth, but a dark smell hung in the air. "Yuck. What _is_ that?"

"I don't know, but I don't think it's happy." I followed his gaze and saw a giant creature, almost human like, standing against the wall. Its skin was yellow and mottled and the only thing it wore were torn rags..

"An ogre!" I yelled. "Laori didn't say anything about there being a guardian!"

"Can we take it?"

"In our civilian clothes? No."

"Then let's armor up."

"Yeah. It might help. Armor of Water Star!"

"Armor of Wildfire!" I ogre ran at me, club raised. I blocked with my yari and felt its brute strength shock through my arms.

"Damn! It's strong!"

"We need to find Kayura!"

"Somehow, I get the feeling we need to beat big and ugly over here- shit!" It attacked again and hit me in the chest. I slammed into a wall and felt my knees collapse underneath me. My yari lay on the ground, broken in two.

"Are you alright?"

"Barely. Hold on. I got an idea." I stood up and pulled the daggers off my back. "Rain… Dagger… STRIKE!" The twin daggers glowed and separated into six more. . They lanced forward, hitting my new found friend. One missed the creature and sliced Ryo's shoulder. It didn't make it through the subarmor. Still, he looked at the light blue line on his outer armor with a slight awe.

"Damn…"

"It's a Talent." I resheathed the blades as the ogre vanished. Candles burst into life and Kayura appeared, in her/Anubis' armor. I let my armor go as Ryo picked her up. He nodded at me and I walked into the shadows. Saki was sitting at the kitchen table, alone, _and_ on top of that, it was dark outside. "Saki?" She jumped and looked at me.

"Nikki? Ryo?" she asked. "Are you okay? Where have you been?"

"Um… getting Kayura?"

"It's been almost four days!"

"Are you serious?" She nodded at Ryo. "Wow… It only seemed like four minutes." 

"I know." I suddenly felt incredibly exhausted. "That's it. No more missions with you, Calli boy. Not if I'm gonna get pounded like that again."

"That wasn't _my_ fault."

"Yeah, well, it is now." I pushed my hair over my shoulder, grinned, and went to bed.

Chapter 3(Ryo)

It was maybe a week after Nicka, Kayura, and I came back that Brin woke up. She came downstairs, Briana one her shoulders, giggling, and Rowen behind her, shaking his head.

You don't want to know, he said in the back of my mind. I grinned. 

"Morning all!" said Brin energetically. Briana waved and rested her hands on her sister's head. "What have I missed?"

"Math test," said Saki.

"Language test," said Micja.

"Government test," said Laori."

"Science test," said Ariogya.

"California Boy and I retrieving Kayura," said Nicka. I shot her a look, but she just grinned. "By the way, you look like shit."

"Thanks," said Brin. "Where is she?"

"I am right here," said Kayura, raising her hand above the back of the couch. "Hello, Brinara."

"Don't call me that. It's just Brin. You have a headache and whose fault?"

"Halo and Ariogya."

"A ha. Get used to that."

"Not funny!" said Ary. I laughed.

"Miss us, Brin?" She smiled.

"How could I not?"

End.

Peek at 'Christmas Wish'

Christmas. That glorious time of the year that can be incredibly interesting in a house with nine girls and six guys, two of the group being six and one having the _mind_ of a six year old. Yup. Nicka. Even Kento's not as bad as her around the holidays. But, that's part of the reason we all love her so much.

"Giggling, Briana and Yuli raced upstairs, White Blaze at their heels. The poor tiger had already been subject to Nicka and worse a collar of green tinsel. Our overly energetic friend was decorating the tree with Kento, Rowen, and Ryo. Brin, and Kayura were sitting on the couch, making bows, while Cye, Saki, Mia and I were in the the kitchen, baking. Laori and Ariogya were out playing errand girls, with Sage as their driver.

Alright came Nicka's voice in my mind. Time for Operation Mistletoe.__


	2. Default Chapter Title

Blood of the Eternal Star: Trusting the Sword

Prologue(Brin)

"We're alive," said Saki, for the fourth time in total disbelief. "You guys beat Talpa, we technically beat the Dark Star Armors, and-"

"We're alive," finished me, Nicka, and Ariogya at the same time. Everyone laughed and I collapsed, exhausted in a chair.

"What I really can't believe is how Nicka and Kento survived that long without eating," said Ariogya. Nicka stuck out her tongue, but headed into the kitchen. She came out a few minutes later with a big bowl of popcorn that she set on the table.

"You're one to talk. I don't think any of us have eaten in at least a week. I'm surprised we're all alive," she said. 

"I just want sleep," I said, closing my eyes. "That was the biggest bull shit so far, even if you did beat Talpa. We still have Kaji and the other three to defeat and right now, I couldn't kick the ass of a six year old, much less stand up to kicking my own ass."

"Speaking of six year olds," said Rowen. "You'd think Briana and Yuli did more fighting then we did." I opened my eyes and looked over at the other chair. Both of them were asleep next to each other, out cold and probably would be for a while.

"We better get them up to bed," I said. I stood up and picked up Briana carefully. She didn't even stir and neither did Yuli when Rowen took him from the chair. Ariogya gave a snicker.

"Aww, look at the little family," she said coolly. I glared at her, then went upstairs. Briana opened her eyes when I laid her down on her bed.

"When did we get back here?" she muttered as she turned over.

"We've been here for a few hours," I answered in a whisper. Rowen was already back in the hallway and for a second as I closed the door, he said nothing. Then he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and for some reason, two weeks of pain and despair and not knowing what was going to happen, came out and I started crying. 

"It's okay," he said quietly. "It's okay."

"Oh, god, Rowen, I thought we had lost everything. You guys, Bree, Yuli... we couldn't have won without them and they almost died saving _our_ lives. We're supposed to be protecting _them_, not the other way around. Anubis died saving Kayura and now we have no idea whether she's alive or not. Micja, Laori, Kale, Dais, Sekhmet, all of them are somewhere in the Dynasty with Kaji and the others." He brushed the tears off my face and I blinked back more.

"But we _did_ win," he said. "Thanks to you and your dad. And we're not going to let you deal with this alone. We're still a team against the Dynasty." He kissed me and I kissed him back, fighting off more tears. How could I tell him that the only way to truly beat the Dynasty now was the kill ourselves? It was a last resort, but if they became too strong...

There would be no other choice.

Chapter 1

Saki closed her eyes and shivered. Then she opened them again.

"How can we do this?" she asked around tears. "We've hurt them too much already. How can we _possibly_ go through with this?" Ariogya shook her head sadly.

"They want to help us, but they know that if the Dark Stars are hurt, so are we and they've also made it pretty clear they won't let that happen," she said. "We can't wait for Kaji, Grant, Micael, and Hario to attack. We need to bring the fight to them."

"Still... we should at least tell the guys," said Nicka. "If we _do_ survive, they'll kill us. Really, they will."

"What about Briana, Yuli, and Mia? They're as much a part of this as the guys," spoke up Saki. "To say the least, we won't get away with this."

"It's always been like that," I pointed out. "We're a team. Every time one of us got in trouble, the others did too."

"But we're short Micja and Laori," said Ariogya.

"If we find Kale, Dais, Kayura, and Sekhmet, we'll find them," I said. "Even just Dais and Kale, and we'll find them." Nicka gave a small laugh.

"I always thought they were nuts for liking warlords," she said quietly. "Then I saw how much Kale and Dais cared for them and I knew. When Micja almost died... Kale had the same look as Kento would get when I was in danger. The same as all of the guys, really." I nodded and grinned.

"We've been best friends since forever and however much someone did wrong, the others were always there to back her up." Silence ascended again, then Saki giggled.

"Do you remember when we were seven, back when Laori was still here, and Ariogya thought Brin's kitchen floor was possessed?" Ariogya laughed.

"It sloped down, damn it," she explained. "What was I supposed to think? No one had told me that it had been like that when they moved in. You're one to talk, Saki, lighting poor Mr. Veuan's cat on fire." Saki shook her head, confused.

"That was _not_ me," she said. Nicka bit her lip.

"Um, that was me," she said uncertainly. "My brother said cat hair burning didn't smell the same as human hair, so I was going to prove him wrong. It was still alive... just a little singed. And anyway, cat fur burning gives off a _way_ different smell then human hair." I doubled over laughing. 

"I remember Saki riding her bike off the side of the bridge over Nima Creek," I said.

"Only cause you dared me!" protested Saki. "Oh no, wait, it was Laori that dared me. You dared me to ride from _under_ the bridge to the pond and see how deep it was." Nicka started laughing too, followed by Ariogya. Saki joined in after a moment's thought. "Okay, okay, so what stupid things has _Brin_ done?"

"Oh, the list is so long," said Nicka sarcastically. "We never could get you to do stupid shit."

"What can I say?" I asked with a grin. "I'm perfect."

"Yeah, so perfect you jumped off the edge of the swingset when we were watching Nathen, Jessica, and Briana," said Saki. "Almost snapped your ankle."

"Jessica yelled spider and I got scared I was going kill something," I said defensively. "I really would have snapped my ankle if I hadn't been trying to land on the trampoline."

"Wait a minute," said Nicka. "First of all, I never heard about this, and secondly, Briana was there? This wasn't that long ago, then, was it?"

"Summer of seventh grade," said Saki. Ariogya rolled her eyes.

"We couldn't get you to do anything stupid growing up, but you apparently just got dumber anyway," she said. "Smooth Brin." I shrugged.

"It happens." The mood darkened again. "Listen, what ever happens, we're still friends, right? Nothing can change that. Not Kaji and the Dark Stars, not the guys, _nothing_."

"Hey," said Nicka. "We made a pact, remember? When this first started. That we'd always fight with each other and the Ronins, even if they weren't there at the time."

"Forever," I said. "We'll be friends."

"Forever," they echoed.

"Can we do this now?" asked Ariogya, her subarmor appearing. "I need to kick some ass and the Dynasty's the best place to burn off energy."

"Let's go," agreed Saki. "The guys will have to live without us for a few days."

"It's gonna kill me to go along with you people, isn't it?" said Nicka with a wry grin.

"Welcome to Fighting the Dynasty one-oh-one: Death is your best friend," I said. "Oh, come off it, Nikki. We can't do this without you."

"I know, I know, but I can't shake the feeling that you're all clinically insane." I laughed.

"Duh," I said. "Now will you shut up and agree with us?" She nodded, smiling. "Come on. I _did_ tell Bree we were leaving, so eventually, she'll tell the guys."

"Since she's lived with you all her life, it'll be precisely when they start to freak out about us disappearing," said Nicka. One by one, we walked into the shadows and emerged into the Dynasty. "Which, knowing the guys, will be in two hours. Approximately. Give or take twenty minutes."

"Why?"

"In two hours it'll be time for dinner, so Cye will notice I'm gone, Kento will notice there's no food yet, Rowen or Sage will say they haven't seen any of us since four and whoever didn't say that will ask if anyone knows where we are," predicted Saki. "I think Nicka was taking the twenty for Sage's overprotectivness and adding twenty for Kento's slowness." We all laughed. The scenery changed drastically from the inside of Nicka's basement to the banks of one of the Dynasty's rivers. Something trailed in the water and I gasped when I realized what it was. 

"Oh my god," I said. "It's blood!"

Chapter 2(Ariogya)

"What?!" I followed Brin's gaze and saw the thin stream of red in the yellow waters. Specifically, there were six beings that it could've come from and anyway you looked at it, it was a _bad_ thing."We have to find where it's coming from!" We started running along the shore until we hit a fork. To make matters worse, it was coming from both parts. 

"Saki, Nicka, you guys go left. Ariogya and I will take the right," said Brin quickly.

"Right. I mean left," said Saki. She and Nicka jumped shores and kept going. Brin had her 'this bull shit is Kaji's fault' look and for once, she was absolutely right without even thinking clearly.

About eighty feet from where we split paths we found three of the six: Micja, Kale, and Kayura. I gripped Kayura's shoulders and pulled her from the water where she had been half submerged while Brin tried to wake Micja. My body was already used to the strain of healing because I barely used part of my energy in healing the three of them. Micja groaned and pushed herself off the ground.

"Laori," she muttered. "Dais, Sekhmet. Where are they?"

"I'll bet you ten bucks that they're with Nicka and Saki," said Brin abruptly. "On the other river." Kayura shook her head and sat up slowly.

"How can they be so strong?" she wondered, dazed. 

"Who?" I asked.

"The Dark Stars. It's impossible."

"Brin," said Micja. "Kaji's taken over the Dynasty. The soldiers and the remaining Nether Spirits follow his every command and he's gained an immense amount of power from that. Even a new sure kill as well."

_You could learn a new sure kill,_ said Senaara. _If you trained more._

_Bite me._ "And the other three?"

"Are getting stronger by the day," answered Kale. I clenched my hand into a fist and felt anger over throw that calm that I was beginning to feel.

"He's iced," I murmured. "He's _so_ iced."

"Calm down, Ary," said Brin, rage barely hidden on her face. "We'll get them."

"I hope so-"

"Brin!" We turned and saw Nicka running toward us. "Come on! The others... oh, hey Micja."

"Hey Nikki," said Micja with a grin. "Ary-"

"Got it covered." I followed Nicka's footprints to the other river, which was straight east of the one we had been at. Saki was trying to get Laori to wake up and Dais and Sekhmet were still unconscious. I started to heal them when suddenly I felt a cold knot in my stomach. "Grant," I cursed. 

"Micael," muttered Saki. "We had better armor up. Lightening Star! Tay Ri!"

"Ice Star! Tay Doshi!" We waited, tense and ready for a battle. "Hey, Saki, did you know Kaji's got a new sure kill?" I asked, concentrating on listening for the sounds of anything. 

"Hmm. That's nice," she answered, watching west. "So the bastard's taken over the Dynasty?"

"Yup."

"Too bad. This place was actually pretty nice once."

"Yup."

"Do you think the guys have figured out we're gone?"

"Yup."

"If they haven't... they're guys, definitely."

"Yup."

"Are you being weird again?"

"Yu- hey! Again?"

"Yup." We both laughed and Laori groaned. 

"Shut up, both of you," she murmured. "I've got a headache."

"Sorry, Lay," we chimed in unison. Grant's presence vanished and I sighed.

"They're gone."

"Yup."

"Stop it!" Laori tried to get up, but her legs didn't want to support her weight. I caught her and helped her to a rock, then healed her and the other two former warlords. "You know, for a fourteen year old below average student, Kaji sure as hell knows how to lead an empire," she said, sending her armor away. 

"It's not right," added Saki. "How long have we spent fighting these jerks? And now they've got an entire realm at their disposal? It's bull shit."

"If we can get hold of Kaji and stop this insanity trip of his before it goes too far, then maybe the Dynasty will finally be free," said Laori thoughtfully. I wanted to add something when I heard the sound of clattering armor. And lot's of it. "They're late."

"Just a little. You guys relax and we'll handle this." I prepared myself for a fight and got one, thankfully. Line upon line of soldiers appeared in the horizon, but they stopped dead just before they reached us and stayed in a perfect fifty by fifty formation. "What the heck?"

"It's a guard," said Sekhmet. "They're waiting for someone to come."

"_Kaji_."

"_Grant_."

"_Micael_."

"_Hario_." The others had come from the other river, Brin and Nicka already armed and ready for battle. I felt Grant's presence again, this time in the general direction of where the soldiers were. Great. "Come on, trash. Show yourselves."

"You almost seem ready for death," said Kaji. He and the other three appeared, each on the back of a black horse. "Now why could that be? Are you sick of living lies?Do you wish to return here, to the Dynasty, where you belong?"

"Will you shut up?" asked Brin in exasperation. "First, you talk constantly, instead of fighting, then you only want to fight in my dreams. Will you fucking make up your mind?"

"Oh, my twin of so little patience-"

"_I_ have little patience?"

"Will you let me continue? I only wish to fight in _our_ dreams because I control them. My victory is always written in the stars, just as it has been for centuries. You grow weaker, with loss of sleep, and armor cannot draw from any volcanoes in the Dynasty, since they do not exist." She unsheathed her katanas and set her mouth in a firm line.

"Well," she replied. "I'll just have to kick your ass out here, then I can get some _real_ sleep."

"If it is your wish to die..."

"My wishes are none of your business. Now get off the over dressed mule and fight me, bastard." Each of them dismounted and the horses vanished. My spear glinted in the yellow light and I caught a reflection of something behind us. Grant took my momentary confusion and screamed an attack. 

"Die traitorous wench!" he hollered, running at me. I turned back and blocked his attack. 

"_Nobody_ calls me a wench," I said darkly. "And lives." He grinned wickedly.

"I believe I just did."

"You'll freeze," I whispered harshly. "Then you will burn in the fires of hell."

"Funny that fire should be the power of your best friend. Perhaps it is an omen that you will die first."

"You're one to talk."

"Kaji is no more my friend then Hario or Micael. We fight as one and we will win against you, but after that, we will no longer be even the acquaintances that we are now."

"You fight as one, and you saw you will win, but Brin, Saki, Micja, Laori, Nicka and I have the one thing you don't: we trust our lives in the hands of each other. I would feel no safer in a nuclear bomb shelter then I do with them." I jumped back from his spear tip and whipped mine in front of me, knocking his away. "We can't kill one another, we can't kill our team members, or we risk losing one of the armors."

"Your friends Micja and Laori don't have that problem. Are you jealous because their armors are whole?"

"Sorry, kid, but jealousy isn't mine. I'm courage and you're corruption, remember?" 

"Dragon Rage Flame!"

"Hell's Fire Eruption!" Brin planted her feet firmly on the ground and pushed her power out through her swords. Kaji did the same, only his new attack seemed as strong as hers. She closed her eyes and muttered something herself, then her concentration was back in the fight. Since I had knocked Grant's weapon away, our battle was pretty much over, but the real war was just about to begin.

"Twenty bucks on the blonde," said Grant.

"A) she's not a blonde," I responded. "She's more of a light brown. Her _personality_ is blonde, but her hair color is not."

"I was talking personality, _dumb_ blonde."

"Oh, well, then your on." We shook hands as we sent our armors away. Now, I know this is making about as much sense as the fact that the guys were standing behind us(which they were, by the way), but our fates were decided by the two leaders, Brin and Kaji. Whichever one came out victorious showed which of us, Dark Star or Star Gaze, was stronger. The little fights between each other really meant nothing other then the fact they gave us practice. 

"Hell's Fire Eruption!" repeated Kaji. He turned from Brin, who's attack went wild over him, to the Ronins, Dais, Sekhmet, Kayura, and Kale. 

"No!" shouted Brin. It was headed directly towards us too. Heat and fire ripped through the air as I dove to the ground, taking Grant with me. He's a jerk, but I was particularly fond of my armor at this point in time.

"Nether Spirits! Finish them off!" yelled Kaji with a shadowed glee. There was a huge roar of wind as a black tornado tore across the ground.

"Sage!"

"Cye!"

"Kento!"

"Dais!" 

"Kale!"

"NO! You bastard, stop!" raged Brin, her armor glowing. But it was too late. The whirlwind surrounded all of them and they vanished from sight. "You bastard..."

"Such a pity. They were apparently too weak if they fell for the same trick that Master Talpa used on them before."

"I'll kill you," said Brin softly. "You're toast. Bring them back!"

"I can't, my twin. They have gone back to where their armors came from and I plan on destroying them before they know what hit 'em." All four of the remaining doubles vanished and I felt a strange pain in my chest. _Sage,_ I thought. _He's gone. How can he be gone?_

_He's still alive, Ary. We'll find him. All of them._ Brin's armor disappeared and she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. 

"I failed them," she whispered. "I failed them all. I should have been paying more attention to where my attack was going. I could've hit that bastard. He could be dead right now. But instead, the Ronins, the warlords, and Kayura, who have all fought to protect what they believe in, the whole reason I'm here, are... gone."

"Brin," said Nicka, helping her up. "We'll find them. Come on. Kaji said this is the second time this has happened. Maybe Mia knows how they reunited in the first place. We'll find them, I promise." Brin lowered her gaze.

"Promises hold no bounds in war," said quietly. "I promised myself I would keep them safe, no matter what it took, and I broke that promise." Okay, I was getting sick of this self pity she was wallowing in, so I walked over to her and Nicka. Brin lifted her head briefly and locked eyes with me. I pulled my arm back and slapped her as hard as I could manage. She staggered back, glaring at me. "Ary! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Me?! There's nothing wrong with _me_!" I shot back. "All we hear is 'I failed this' Or 'I failed that'! Look around you! We're in the middle of fucking enemy territory! We've got two out of six full armors, only four more to go and your standing here griping because the guys are gone! God, Brin, wake up and smell the roses! This is war! They knew that the instant they became Ronins! They knew that when they decided they were going to stick with us until the Dynasty was free from _all_ darkness! Their destiny was to defeat Talpa. Good! He's gone! They're done with their job and yet, they came all the way here when they found out we had come on our own just to fight with us, to protect _us_ when god knows we'd have an easier time protecting _them_!"

"Ary, chill-" started Laori, but I cut her off.

"No. This is bull shit. I don't know about the others, but I follow you because you've got every bit of Keshen's experience inside of your head. Not to mention I've always followed you. Into every fight against the Dark Stars that had no meaning before now, into every god damn dare we've done in our lives. This was _your_ stupid ass idea, so grow up and live with the consequences. We _will_ get them back, all of them, Kayura and the warlords included." I crossed my arms over my chest and felt my rage die down slowly. Brin closed her mouth and shook her head sadly.

"You're right. I'm sorry," she said. "But you had _no_ reason to slap me."

"Sure I did." I grinned. "I was in the middle of a bet with Grant and if you hadn't given up so early, I probably would have made twenty bucks."

Chapter 3(Brin)

_She's right, you know. You wallow in self pity too much. Like Wildfire does._

_Thanks, Keshen, but you're one to talk. The memory thing goes both ways, remember?_ She laughed.

_Yup._ We crossed through the shadows and ended up just outside of Mia's house. Briana came running from the back door and I picked her up, then hugged her tightly.

"Hey kid," I said. "Where's Mia?"

"She's inside," answered Bree. "Why did you leave?"

"Because I have no sense."

"Oh. But where is Ryo and everybody? Didn't you see them?" I nodded grimly.

"We did, but now we've got to find them. That's why I need to talk to Mia. Why don't you go find Yuli and start your homework?" I suggested, setting her back on the ground. 

"'Kay!" she said brightly, racing back inside. "Yuli! Get off your butt and get your homework!"

"You're not my mother!"

"So what?! I'm older and I'm saying you need to do your homework!"

"I don't have to take orders from you!" There was a crashing sound and by the time we got inside, Briana was chasing Yuli up the stairs. 

"Get back here, you little jerk!" she said, one hand covering her nose. White Blaze looked up at me and growled softly.

"It's okay," I said, scratching behind his ears. "We'll get Ryo and the others back-" There was another crashing sound and this time, Yuli yelled. "But will you go stop them before someone actually gets hurt? Please?" He growled again and stood up, then started up the stairs after them. Mia came out of the kitchen and looked worried when she saw it was just us.

"Where are the others?" she asked.

"Kaji took a lot of their power, then scattered them, even the warlords and Kayura," explained Saki. "Do you know how to find them?"

"Talpa did this once, to the guys," said Mia slowly. "'Torch of spirit sought by five; Drinking strength from immortal fire, darkest prison sheds the light, churning beneath a swirl of salt, burning within the throne of the gods, and floating amongst the eyes of ages, ammored in a stream of the sky.' Ryo is in the volcano, Sage is at the Pinnacles, Kento's on Mt. Dojo, Cye is in the river and Rowen... is in space."

"What?!" I forced my legs to not collapse beneath me. The fact that the guy I cared for and was my best friend to boot was trapped in _space_ was not going to get me.

"That's where he was before. I'm sorry, Micja, Laori, I don't know about Dais, Kale, Sekhmet, or Kayura, but I'll look and see." Micja nodded.

"Look, I know Brin's gonna lose it again," said Nicka. "So we have to get started right away. I'll go to the river and get Cye. Saki, you take the Pinnacles and Sage- it's just a figure of _speech_ Ary. Get that look of your face- Brin, you find Ryo and Laori, go to Mt. Dojo-"

"Laori nothing," broke in Ary. "My armor is at its strongest in the ice, which Mt. Dojo has plenty of, thank you very much. No offense, Lay, but I think I'll go rescue Kento's ass."

"No prob. I'll stay here and help Mia find where Dais and the rest are."

"I'll get Rowen," volunteered Micja. "If he's in space, then I've got the only armor capable of getting up there." I opened my mouth to protest, but Nicka raised her hand.

"You be quiet. The next words out of your mouth are gonna be 'it's too dangerous to risk all of us'." I grinned. 

"Actually, I was gonna say it's too dangerous for Micja to be by herself in space."

"I won't be by myself," said Micja with a sly grin. "I'll have Rowen to keep me company." I felt a twinge of jealousy that was more like being hit with a semi full of the stuff, but I didn't say anything. After all, Micja is my friend. I would kill her later.

"Okay, so we've got a plan. Laori, you stay here and make sure Kaji doesn't attack this place. Your armor is full, so it should have a slight advantage, just be careful when you use it. Mia, try and find everything you can that might help us find the warlords and Kayura. Briana! Yuli!"

"What?!" they yelled in unison, coming down the stairs. Yuli had the beginnings of a bruise very visible on his leg.

"We've got something we need to do. You're both going to stay here and help Mia and Laori. Keep the fighting to a minimum, got it?" They both nodded. "We'll be back soon, so don't worry."

"Let me get this straight," said Ary as we walked outside. "Kento's on Mt. Dojo. Wasn't the Throne of the Gods cracked or shattered something? I remember people were having big religious crises because some mystical object had been wrecked. They thought it was an omen."

"Yeah, but if Kento's been inside of it before, that's probably how it was cracked. So just crack it again. Or Kento's head, whichever's harder," said Nicka with a grin. "The faster we get the guys back, the better."

Chapter 4

"Perfect day to get our asses kicked around trying to save the guys," said Ary with a yawn. She raked her fingers through her hair, then stopped at the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice. "Man, I'll kill Grant the next time I get my hands around his neck. That's the last time I let him beat me in a dream fight."

"You too?" asked Nicka, walking into the kitchen. She was already dressed and showered. I could hear water running somewhere else in the house. "Hey Ary, you should bring some food. Kento's gonna be starving."

"Nikki, Kento's _always_ starving," said Saki. She leaned her elbows on the sink and looked out the window. "I hope Cye's alright. I dreamed... there was a monstrous soldier guarding him. It was at least nine feet tall and... it carried a _very_ big sword. I think it's something Micael's telling me. He wants me to feel pessimistic towards this whole thing. But that's not me. That's Nicka."

"Yeah. You're the pacifist," Nicka pointed out. "Hey Ary, save some for the rest of us." Ary twisted the lid back on the jug and raised an eyebrow at Nikki.

"Nee, that's not all that much," she said, pointing to the glass. "Here." She tossed the jug to Nick, then came and sat down next to me. "What's up, leader girl? Why so quiet?"

"If I had just aimed..." I said quietly. "They wouldn't be like this. This is all my fault."

"Oh, here we go again," said Micja. "Brin, get over it. We need you to be awake for this. The guys need Ryo and you're the only one who can reach him inside that volcano."

"Yeah but-"

"Don't. Just shut up now or I'll be forced to slap you again." The door opened and a sleepy Briana walked in.

"Are you wallowing again?" she asked a minute later. "Brin, what are we gonna do with you? You've got to stop this. The fate of the _world_ rests in getting the guys back."

"See?" said Micja smugly. I managed a look at her before I grinned at Briana.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Now let's go. I plan on getting Ryo before it's time for dinner."

"Yeah, well, the rest of us have further to go. Hopefully, if all goes well, me and Kento will be back by lunch tomorrow."

"Same with Cye and me," said Nicka.

"It's gonna take awhile to get Strata," said Micja. She picked up a muffin and bit into it thoughtfully. "I have to find exactly where he is. Up in space, he's in an orbit. If I get it wrong, we'll both be stuck up there." I looked down at the table and felt a distinct pain in my chest.

_Oh, god, Rowen..._

_Focus, kid. You're job is to get Wildfire. Let Micja and Veria worry about Strata_

_I just hope they can..._ I got up, feeling anger and energy overthrow my worry.

"Let's kick it!" Micja almost choked on her muffin laughing.

"She's back."

"You're all up early," said Mia. She came in with Yuli and White Blaze. Laori wasn't far behind. "Are you starting today?"

"Yup. We were just trying to give Brin a pep talk," said Ary. Mia raised an eyebrow.

"What the..." I laughed, embarrassed.

"It's nothing," I said. "Let's go. The faster we get the guys back, the faster I can refocus my thoughts on destroying Kaji."

"Have your thoughts ever been focused?" asked Ary. We all started outside, Micja still eating the muffin. Briana, Yuli, and Mia followed. White Blaze growled and came too. The sun was just breaking through the clouds from last night's storm. Somewhere in the trees, a blue jay screamed and another answered. 

"Star Gaze, armor up! Fire Star! Tay Daoji!"

"Water Star! Tay Ni!"

"Lightening Star! Tay Ri!"

"Ice Star! Tay Doshi!"

"Acid Air Star! Tay Meia!" 

"You can do it!" said Briana. "Save the guys!!"

"No prob, little sister," I laughed. "Right?"

"Right," said Saki. "See you all back here!" I nodded and walked into the shadows of the forest. My attention focused on the volcano. I wasn't sure which one to go to. Mt. Ayso, the one that Sun Devil had frozen over, had thawed out (you can't freeze a volcano and expect it to stay frozen. Come on), so that gave me two choices. 

The black smoke billowed around me. I slowed my breathing and listened. There was a soft growl.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," I said, laying my hand on White Blaze's head. _White Blaze's mind is here to protect Ryo. Black Blaze's spirit is here to protect me. I feel bad for both parts. It must get confusing._ "I left the shadows open so you'd come, even if you could do more helping Saki or Ary. You won't survive in the lava, but, somehow, I doubt that's gonna stop you." He growled again. "That's what I- watch it!" A sword flew out of the smoke. I jumped right and Blaze went left. It slammed into the rocks between us. "Should've known. Kaji, show yourself, coward."

"Master Kaji sent me to destroy you," said a dark voice. "And I will. I am Kireac. You are no match for my power."

"We'll see. I've battled two six year olds in a park full of kids on a Friday. I can pretty much handle anything." 

"Yes. We shall see who is stronger." A dark shaped came at me out of the smoke. It resembled some cross between a soldier and a human. Two words: Black. Aura. To an extreme. I'm not kidding. You could see it around him. Then again, it could've also been-

_Black Fire!_ said Keshen. _It's not possible!!_

"I see the confusion on your face, Keshen's reincarnation. I wondered when she would recognize me. Yes, I am Black Fire reborn. I do not go down that easily, my unfortunate playmate. This time, you will die."

"Like hell!" I unsheathed my katanas and lunged at Kireac. He dodged aside and I sliced into stone. "Damn it! Hold still!"

"Black Hole!" I leapt to the side. The half gone rock disintegrated. White Blaze roared and attacked.

"Be careful!" I yelled. Kireac knocked him aside. "No! Alright, that's it! Dragon Rage FLAME!" Power exploded from my swords. I didn't have a clue as to where I got 'Flame of Dragons' but it worked pretty well, so far be it from me to complain.

"Darkness Engulf!" The new power disappeared into the swirling hole. Before I could react, my armor vanished too, the energy sucked away by the black hole. My knees gave out and I fell to the ground. My power was failing. My subarmor kept vanishing, no matter how hard I tried to keep hold of it. My body went numb. My forehead burned.

"Spirit," I muttered painfully. All of my power disappeared. I was vaguely aware of Kireac attacking. White Blaze... saved me... again... only now, he was down too. Intense pain ripped through me like electricity through water. I cried out in pain as my body was lifted off the ground.

"Such a pity I have to waste a good armor, but Master Kaji ordered you destroyed!" He threw me, over the edge of the volcano. Heat rushed up to meet me, intense, insane heat. Capable of burning me in seconds.

And there wasn't anything I could do.

Chapter 5(Saki)

"Halo," I said, emerging from the shadows in the middle of the Pinnacles. "You had better be here. I will not be put into some wild goose chase." It was weird. Everything was so quiet, so desolate. This place was incredibly isolated. And that didn't help my worry. Something was wrong with one of the others, I could feel it in the core of my armor. If only I could find out who and where.

_You don't have any idea as to where Halo is. There's got to be a hundred caves around here._

_Nycoelle, they all lead to the same central system of tunnels. I'll find him, don't worry._ I headed into the first entrance I saw. Pitch black darkness swallowed me immediately. _This isn't going to work._ "Armor of Lightening Star! Tay Ni!" I focused my flood of energy into my sword. It glowed with power, sending green light into the corners and crevices of the tunnel. It still stretched on into darkness. "Well, the poem's right so far."

_Stop talking to yourself outloud._

"No." I walked on. Man, this was going to take forever. How far could he possibly be?

_Saki, you're wasting your power. You'll have to trust your other senses._

_Alright._ I pulled the power back. Still, my strength was pretty far gone. I leaned against a rock, breathing heavy. "There's got to be an easier way to do this!" My voice echoed off the cavern walls. 

_You need to stay calm. Stop being rash._

_If you say so._I sat down on the hard ground and closed my eyes. A calm, deep void of meditation over took me. _Sage, please, I can't keep wandering. The more time I waste, the closer the Dynasty gets to you. I need your help._ I tried to keep my focus on finding him, but whatever was making me worry about my friends had grown stronger in the void. It was incredible pain. Suffering. A small green light glowed out of the corner of my eyes, catching my attention before it could be completely diverted. Sage was closer then I had thought. I let go of my darkness and returned to reality. "I'm coming, my friend. Just stay cool." I took off into the shadows. The ground collapsed beneath me and I landed in an underground cavern. A distinct, greenish light shone through a pillar in the center. "There you are, buddy."

"I will not let anyone get near Sage of Halo until I have found a way to break his prison!" Something hard hit my in the chest and shoved me into the wall. It crumbled into another cavern, leaving me dazed and _slightly_ confused.

"Wh- what the hell?" I asked, pushing myself up. There was a flash of metal. I blocked with my sword and kicked hard. My foot connected with solid flesh. Something groaned and staggered backwards. "Who are you? Who are you trying to stop me?"

"Inside the Dynasty lies a force that will not be stopped. I am the leader of that force. I command the Order of the Broken Dagger."

"Order of the Broken Dagger?" I asked. "_Who are you_?"

"I will be the destroyer of the Dark Stars and all that they stand for. I will not let anyone touch Sage of Halo until he is strong enough to be set free."

"If he spends too much time in that rock prison, he'll die!" I yelled. "I won't let that happen! Lightening Blade Slice!"

"Wicked Lightening, I won't let you near him!" Our sword's connected.

"Why the hell do you think I'm Micael?! Do I look like that half witted moron?!"

"Why should I trust that you are not him?! You bear the same armor and the same strength!"

"You idiot! Don't you know about the Lightening Star armor?!" We separated, neither of us winning.

"Lightening Star... I have never heard of such an armor. You lie."

"Hey, I'm a lot of things right now, pissed to hell being one of them, but I'm no liar."

"You're power blinds you, Mieer. She is not the evil." This statement was followed by insane laughter. "She is my double."

"You're double?"

"Get out of here!" I raged at Micael. "You have no right to be here!"

"Don't be so protective. What makes you think I have any reason to be here?"

"Oh, I don't know. Sage maybe?"

"Halo. Yes. He's too weak. I will destroy him when I'm done with you. Wicked Lightening-"

"Lightening Blade-"

"SLICE!" We attacked each other.

"Mieer!" I said. "Get Sage! Free him! Don't let him get hurt!" 

"He's not strong enough to defeat the Dynasty!"

"Die, Sakimata!" Metal pierced my shoulder, leaving a bloody trail on the edge of Micael's sword. It was a bad arm to lose feeling in. My own nodaochi fell to the ground with a clatter of metal. I felt cold darkness come over me. "Wicked Lightening Slice!"

"Noooo!" Mieer hit me from the side. No matter how Micael tried to direct his power, it slammed into the slightly-mistaken leader of the Broken Dagger. 

"Mieer!" I caught him and kept him from falling. "This is my fault. Don't die. Please!"

"There will be others..." he said. "Others who will fight the Dark Star power. Others..." He fell limp, blood still running from the side of his mouth.

"Well," said Micael. "That's one rebellion down. I think I'll go look for the others." He vanished. I laid Mieer down on the ground and stood up. My hand wrapped around the handle of my weapon. There was a dull pain in my chest. It was my fault... the Broken Dagger... it would fall because of me. I had frozen on the battle field. Would I be reliable to my friends in the future? Would I be reliable to them now?

"Wake up, Halo!" I hollered, forcing energy into my nodaochi. "I'm sick of waiting for you!" I leapt back as the rock crumbled. Sage groaned and pushed himself off the ground.

"Ow. Saki? What's going on?" His eyes fell on Mieer's body. "What happened to him?"

"He's dead," I whispered darkly. "And it's all my fault. I was too weak to fight Micael." Pain exploded in me. Whoever was in trouble was in more now. "Something's wrong. Someone's hurt."

"It might be Ary," said Sage.

"You're guess is as good as mine. Come on." I cast a glance back as I moved towards the shadows. _Rest in peace. I'm so sorry._

Chapter 6(Ary)

"Grant, you lousy son of a motherless goat! Get away from that rock! Ice Sheet Hail!" I whipped my spear over my head and focused in Grant's direction. My energy bounced off the Throne of the Gods, but swiped Grant's side. I felt cold fire burn in the same spot, but I ignored it. "I'm serious! Go!"

"This rock isn't going to break, even for you, so I'll leave you to it, my dumb blonde of a twin." He vanished before I could retaliate. Muttering, I walked towards the rock. I had seen the weakest possible amount of my power reflected off it. There had to be a soft point somewhere. 

_It was cracked until now. Maybe part of the crack still remains._

_You might be onto something, Senaara._ "Ice Sheet Hail!" I leapt up into the air. My sure kill surrounded the rock and I had to keep forcing more and more of my energy out until it started to crack. Orange light spilled from the hole. I landed back down and my legs collapsed beneath me.

_You used too much energy. You need to rest._

_What was your first clue? I'm not resting until I know Kento's alright._ The hole started to spread apart. Kento pulled himself out and looked at me, confused.

"Ary? When did you get here?"

"All of two minutes ago. Good thing the Throne of the Gods was still cracked. I wouldn't have been able to break that thing without it."

"You know, I really didn't need your help." I grinned.

"Of course not. But I had to come or Nicka would've wasted me."

"Nicka? She's worried about me?" He looked slightly embarrassed. Do I blame him? No. Not really. 

"Just slightly. She even warned me to bring food."

"Did you?"

"Sorry. I don't exactly have anywhere to put it." I stood up and walked around the broken rock. "This is gonna freak people out more. It went from whole to busted again. I think I've officially started a religious crisis."

"Okay." He jumped to the ground, then looked at me and laughed. I did too, after a minute. 

"Never mind. Come on. Let's get back to the others-"

"Black Ice Corruption!" I yelled in pain as Grant's sure kill hit me from behind. I slid across the snow and stopped just at the edge, my arm dangling down. To say the least, it was a _long_ fall. 

"Grant, you jerk," I said, pushing myself to my knees. "Only a coward attacks from behind."

"Ary! Kento!" I saw Saki and Sage out of the corner of my eye. Oh, thank god. They were alright. 

"So I'm a coward, my twin. I will still have the last laugh." He appeared just behind me. "Good bye, Ariogya of the Ice Star!" The icy ledge started cracking. Grant slammed hit spear right in the middle. It shattered underneath me. A large chunk connected with the back of my head. Next thing I knew, cold water was waking me from my shadowed blackness.

"Hold on, Ary!" I tried to keep my train of thought on one track, but it kept derailing. Sage? Where had he come from? He had been on top of the mountain before. Had he... would he... what was he doing?

I staggered from the river, my hair stuck in icy chunks. The vague awareness that Sage had saved me arrived and disappeared at the same time. Both of us were only half conscious, but somehow, we made it to a cave before he collapsed. I couldn't pass out, not now, not when I was in my element. Half conscious, but in my element.

_Courage_

My sub-armor took away the pain and drew from the chills in my body. I healed Sage's bleeding, but it took a lot from me this time. Then I fell to my knees next to him and let the darkness close in around my mind...

_Ary... Ariogya!_ I opened my eyes, hearing Senaara yelling in the back of my mind. The storm had picked up outside, but nothing made it into the cave. Every part of me was stiff and numb, but far from cold. I realized I had Sage's jacket around my shoulders, as well as my own. _He's being protective again_ I ignored her and listened closely to him breathing. He was asleep, and alive, at least, and I didn't care he was being protective. It was almost... sweet. I turned my head and looked back at him. He was directly behind me, sitting up against the wall. Ice still glistened on his sub-armor and I felt a new calm wash over me. 

_We try so hard,_ I thought. _To keep each other alive. I don't want to lose you, Sage, not now, not ever. You're the only one who knows me inside and out and although I hate to admit it, you're the only one that can keep me calm. I love you too much to say it outloud._ I climbed carefully to my feet and laid back down nearer to him. He shifted and opened his eyes slowly. 

"Ary?"he asked quietly. I nodded. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," I answered, sitting up. I handed him his jacket. "Here. You look a little cold." He just smiled.

"Thanks." The wind changed directions, blowing in ice and snow. I shivered and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I laid my head on his shoulder as the wind went back in the other direction. 

_You can't get involved with this Ronin! What if it comes to deciding between him and your armor? You both fight from different sides-_

_No we don't!_ I said angrily. _We both fight against the Dynasty!_

_Your powers come from the Dynasty! Doesn't the mean anything to you?_

_No, as a matter of fact. I'll choose Sage and my freedom any day over my armor. You should know that by now. He cares about me, so just... drop it._

_I shouldn't be trying to stop you. Sammei was the same way. He did everything to protect me. In the end, I killed him. I just... I don't want you going through the same pain. I've been given a chance to keep mistakes from the past being redone in the future._

_Sen, I can take care of myself._

_I know, I won't try and stop you anymore._ Sleep started to over take my mind. I hadn't realized how exhausted I was. 

_...Thanks..._

Chapter 7(Nicka)

_At least this time I don't have to talk to a whale._

_It wasn't that bad, was it? We found out what happened to Cye, didn't we?_

_Yeah, and then we got captured._ I shivered at the memories. It hadn't been a fun time in the Dynasty, knowing my only hope lay with Brin, Ryo, and Rowen. In the end, they'd come through, but it had been close. _So he's down there somewhere._

_What are you waiting for?_

_Something to come out of the water and attack me. There's always something that's going to attack before I can go after Cye._

_You're being paranoid. Just go get him and let's get home. There's something wrong._

_Only now, it's two instead of one._ I walked to the other side of the bridge and looked down. There was hardly a sign of the twin whirlpools over here. _It's weird. It's like they're two different worlds._

_Stop talking and get Torrent already!_

_Geez! Alright, I'm going!_ I walked back to the other side and pulled myself onto the ledge between the cables. There was the sound of screeching tires behind me. 

"Wait!" yelled a voice. "Don't jump!"

"What?" I asked, turning around. "Why not?"

"There's so much in life that I'm sure you haven't done." The person sounded frantic and urgent. Linja started laughing.

_She thinks you're suicidal!_

_What? Why?_

_Nicka, you're about to jump into a river from a bridge. For anyone else, that would be certain death._

_Oh, I get it now._ "Look, I know there's plenty in life. That's why I'm doing this. To save the life on this world. See ya'!" I turned back before she could protest and dove into the water. 

_Honor_ My subarmor appeared just as I broke the surface. _Torrent, where are you, pal? Saki'll kill me if I don't find you._ I kicked my legs and got caught up in the swirl of water. It dragged me around in a circle, pulling me further and further down from the surface. A soft blue light shone from the middle, so I didn't fight it, only went along with it. 

_Your air is running out. You had better call your armor_

_Alright. Armor of Water Star! Tay Ri!_ My feet touched the bottom, right in the middle of the whirlpool. I could clearly see the light blue armor shield that surrounded and protected Cye, who was in the middle. I took a step forward and was almost attacked by a school of fish. _Damn things! They're trying to protect Cye! I'm not going to hurt him!_

_They don't know what you are._

_So how do I convince them?_

_Don't fight them. They'll just think you're evil._

_I'm not evil. Please, trust me._

_Honor_ They separated, forming a path straight to him. I walked forward and they closed behind me again. _Time to wake up, Cye. We've got a Dynasty to fight._

_Honor_

_Trust_ The shield vanished and Cye settled down on the sand before opening his eyes.

"Nicka?" he asked. I felt a little stupid. I had completely forgotten that I could talk if I had my armor on. Wonderful.

"Yeah. Let's get back to the surface. I scared some woman. She thinks I'm suicidal."

"You?" he said with a small grin. "Why?"

"I jumped off a bridge. Does that answer your question?" We broke the surface just as a storm(and for the life of me, it was a real one. Not something Dynasty induced) started. "We had better get out of the water!" I said over a clap of thunder. He nodded and we swam to shore. I sent my armor away and sat on the rocks, watching the storm. For some reason, one of two pains had stopped. Actually, both were almost gone. The newer one was sort of dulled. The older one was completely gone. But somehow, that didn't feel right. 

"What's up, Nicka?" asked Cye. The rain started falling, but it felt good to wash away all the salt on my skin.

"I'm not sure yet," I said. "There's something wrong. I don't know. Maybe somebody back at the house knows. Come on." I grabbed his arm and pulled him into the shadows. We came out just behind Mia's house. She was upstairs closing the windows because the storm was just now coming this way. Cye looked around.

"Wow. That's the only way to travel." I smiled and shook my head.

"Nicka! Cye!" Briana and Yuli came rushing out the of the house. "Hi!" said Briana. "You're the first ones back."

"Really?" I said. "Brin should've been here by now..."

"Uh-uh. I think she went to the wrong volcano."

"Right..." Now an ultimate feeling of dread was coming over me. Then I saw Saki and Kento coming out of the forest. Saki looked like she had been crying. "What happened? I thought Ary went to get Kento."

"Grant... he made her fall into the river and Sage... he went after her. I don't know what happened to them," said Saki. I looked at Kento and he nodded. 

"They'll be okay," said Cye. "Ary's element is ice."

"I'm going to look for them," I said. "There's still something that's not right. I don't think... guys, I don't think Brin's lost."

"What do you mean?" asked Yuli. Briana gave a frightened sound.

"I think..." I looked at Briana. 

*Don't say it outloud in front of the girl! What's wrong with you?!* 

"I think she's already found Ryo. She'll be back soon." Everyone but Briana raised an eyebrow at me. Even Yuli. I gave them all a look that said 'keep-your-mouths-shut'. Kento almost killed it, then he looked at Briana, who was tugging Yuli's arm.

"Come on!" she said. "Let's go finish our game." They ran back inside.

"Alright, Nicka, what is it?" asked Kento. "What's going on?"

"Brin's either injured pretty badly or dead. I can't feel anything from her armor. I know Ary's alright. She's hurt, but not seriously. Kento, you and Cye go after Sage and Ary. Me and Saki'll find Brin and Ryo."

"Be careful," said Kento.

"Of course. I'm _always_ careful."

Chapter 8(Micja)

Two days. It had been two days and I still hadn't seen any sign of Rowen. One more night, and I was either going to leave him up there (to which I grant the award of sheer stupidity because I didn't want to face Brin's wrath) or going up anyway, which also gets the award because it I didn't find him, my armor would force me into suspended animation and we'd both be stuck. 

**_Leave him up there... he is a Ronin..._**

_For the love of- shut up! Get a clue! I'm not listening!_ I pulled out one of my arrows as the moon was rising. Stars shone like diamonds in the fading light. _Alright, arrow, lead me to Rowen of the Strata!_ I released it and watched it disappear in the sky overhead. There was a flash of blue light. A few seconds later, there was another one, just to my left. _It's about time._ "Compassion!" My armor shield formed around me and I aimed another arrow at the ground. "Gale of Destruction!" The force knocked me into the air. Earth fell away and the stars became closer and closer. Darkness surrounded me, the only light and warmth coming from my armor. I looked around until I saw Rowen, floating towards me, in suspended animation. "Come on, Strata, time to go back. Before Brin has a full out fit of worry." I fired a third arrow, fought with the demon of my armor to aim it technically _away_ from him so he didn't get run through, and fired. My thoughts focused on keeping it connected to me so it would come back. Then the armor really got evil. Just as the bolt circled back, bringing Rowen with it, the armor suddenly jerked me directly in its path! Stunned (and slightly asleep. Damn suspended animation), I barely managed to dodge. It still struck my arm and stayed there. My shout of pain is what woke Rowen.

"Micja, are you alright?" he asked.

"I'll be fine. Once we get back on the ground and I can get rid of this damn, accursed thing."

"Your armor?"

"Yes my armor. Aren't we quick?"

Micja! Can you hear me?!

_Um... Nicka? What are you doing in my head?_

I don't have time to explain. Brin's in some real trouble. Did you find Rowen?

_Yeah. What's wrong with Brin?_

Don't know yet. Try and set down near the volcano.

_Easier said then done. I'll be lucky if I set down near Toyama._ We were hitting the atmosphere. I braced myself against the heat and then the landing, which was less then soft. We were somewhere in a forest. Thankfully, though, near the volcano. "Come on. We've got to go meet the others."

"Why?"

"Um, well, Brin's in danger."

"What? How?"

"Not a bloody clue. But we've got to find her."

Chapter 9(Brin)

"Spirit," I muttered painfully. All of my power disappeared. I was vaguely aware of Kireac attacking. White Blaze... saved me... again... only now, he was down too. Intense pain ripped through me like electricity through water. I cried out in pain as my body was lifted off the ground.

"Such a pity I have to waste a good armor, but Master Kaji ordered you destroyed!" He threw me, over the edge of the volcano. Heat rushed up to meet me, intense, insane heat. Capable of burning me in seconds.

And there wasn't anything I could do.

My head was swimming with anger and pain. I had to focus. But I couldn't... suddenly, something grabbed my collar and yanked me back up onto a rock. I forced what energy I had into my subarmor. It at least had some kind of protection against the heat.

"White Blaze," I said weakly, lifting my head. "Thanks. I owe you one." Kireac appeared. White Blaze, in Black Blaze's armor, roared angrily. "Kireac, get lost. I'm sick of you." 

"Master Kaji ordered your death. I must make sure it happens." I pushed myself off the ground and glared at him.

"Didn't Kaji tell you if I die, he loses his armor?" I asked coldly. "Do you want to lose your master?" He grinned evilly.

"I know that he dies if you do. Maybe I have been lying to you. Maybe I wish to see that little brat's death."

"You're insane." I stood up carefully. My subarmor was drawing power from the volcano and giving me energy. "You're toasted too. Armor of Fire Star! Tay Daoji!"

"No! You're supposed to die!"

"Like hell!" I dove at him, my katanas flashing in the red light from the lava. "Dragon Rage FLAME!" He didn't have time to retaliate. My sure kill ripped through him and I landed gently on top of the magma. My breathing slowed gradually, then frustration took its place. He wasn't here!! Growling, I leapt back up to where White Blaze was. "It's the wrong one. Come on." He growled softly and I nodded. "Yeah, I know, what a waste of time and energy."We came out in the bottom of the other volcano. I could see Ryo now. But my armor was still drawing power. I couldn't fight it. 

_Spirit_

"Ryo, please," I said. My swords touched the armor shield around him. "Wake up..." I collapsed, darkness taking over.

_Brin, you have to stay alive!_

_I am alive... I just need rest..._

Chapter 10(Saki)

"They've got to be here somewhere," said Nicka. 

"Hey guys!" yelled Micja. She and Rowen came out of the shadows near us. "What's up? Have you found Brin yet?"

"No not ye-" There was a tiger's roar from inside the volcano. "That sounded like White Blaze!" I ran over to the edge and looked down. Something was coming up through the smoke. Nicka jerked me back as White Blaze, in the armor of Black Blaze, leapt from inside. A few seconds later, Ryo came, carrying an unconscious Brin. He laid her down on the ground and her armor vanished, then her subarmor. "Oh, god," I whispered. "Brin!" Blood ran down her arm and she had burns all over the place. "What happened?"

"I don't know," said Ryo. "This is how I found her."

"Brin," said Rowen, gently shaking her shoulders. "Brin, can you hear me?"

"Row?" she asked weakly. "Wh- what happened? Where did you all come from?" She pushed herself to her feet. "No. I have to... I have to finish my mission..." Her subarmor appeared, then disappeared again. Brin fell to her knees. "No... I can't give in... damn Kireac..."

"It's okay," said Ryo. "You're okay now."

"Ryo?" she asked, lifting her head. "You're free..." She collapsed on the ground. Rowen sent his armor away and picked her up carefully. White Blaze growled. "Shh, Black Blaze... I'm safe now... they need White Blaze..." Her eyes closed. The armor on White Blaze vanished, leaving White Blaze. 

"Kireac?" I wondered. 

_Black Fire!_ hissed Nycoelle. _He was defeated by Keshen. The Dark Stars must have brought him back to fight Brin. What better a motive then revenge?_

_Brin has to suffer because of something Keshen did?!_ That made me incredibly angry. 

"Guys," said Micja. "Can we go home?"

"We had better," said Nicka. "I think I scared Briana. Hopefully the others are back."

"What happened to the others?" asked Rowen. 

"Ary got pushed off a cliff and Sage went after her."

"Did he fall?"

"No. He went after her of his own free will."

"He would," said Rowen. The back door opened and Mia came out. 

"Briana and Yuli are sleeping," she said. "Cye, Kento, Sage, and Ary just got back a few minutes ago. They were pretty beat up. Sage and Ary, not Cye and Kento."

"Yeah, they fell into a river. That's not surprising," I said. Brin groaned softly. "We've got to get her inside. She got the hell beat out of her."

"By who?" asked Mia as we walked into the house.

"Who else?" said Nicka. "The Dynasty."

The End

A/N: Heiya! Look! I did this! And I warn you, the next one is a little slow in coming 'cause of the whole my-A-drive-ate-my-Ronin-disk-thing. …Hn, yeah. 


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